The Chicago Parent Program has been rigorously tested and shown to strengthen parenting and reduce behavior problems in young children. Learn more about the research supporting the Chicago Parent Program's efficacy.Read More

The Chicago Parent Program is delivered by trained group leaders guided by The Chicago Parent Program Group Leader Manual (2nd edition), using a combination of video scenes and group discussion. Learn more about purchasing Chicago Parent Program materials and services.Read More

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WELCOME TO THE CHICAGO PARENT PROGRAM

The Chicago Parent Program is a 12-session evidence-based parenting program created for parents of young children (2-5 years old) and designed to meet the needs of a culturally and economically diverse audience.

With so many parenting programs in existence, why choose the Chicago Parent Program?

There are five very important qualities we think set this program apart from the others.

The Chicago Parent Program was developed in collaboration with parents of young children to address those issues of greatest concern to parents.

The Chicago Parent Program is guided by a strong theory, supported by rigorous research, and listed on the SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.

The Chicago Parent Program uses over 160 video scenes of parents raising children in the real world, managing challenging situations at home and in public. We use these scenes to help guide parent group discussions and problem-solve different ways to handle common parenting problems.

There is no one correct way to raise children. The Chicago Parent Program is structured in a way that is respectful to parents’ ideas and values.

Since 2002, the Chicago Parent Program has received outstanding evaluations from parents, educators, health care providers, and agency leaders. It is being used in agencies across the country including the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City, Baltimore City Public Schools, and Head Start.

Testimonials

More programs like this would be really great. Not just for me, but the other moms said it too. It really helped out a lot.

Parents have evaluated both the content and format of the program very favorably. They find the strategies taught in the program really helpful as they encounter new parenting challenges with each development change in their child.

Before [my son] was very aggressive, with everybody and with me… Like he would throw all the toys, make a big mess. You know he wasn’t respecting me… now he’s working and everything…he tells me he loves me a lot… and he’s sleeping by himself…And the teachers say he’s doing better.

Oh, I love [the program]… I don’t get like frustrated anymore. Before I used to scream a lot. And then when I start taking the program, [my husband] noticed that I was like changing the way I am. It helped him a lot too.

The vignettes are very well designed and, most importantly, speak directly to parents. Our PACE group participants always comment on them positively. I believe that this is because they identify with the parents they see and with the situations they and their children depict. No fuss or talking to parents in a moralizing fashion – just common parenting situations that all parents of young children invariably face.

I have to put myself in a four year old mind. That is something I also learned – your child is still a child regardless of what the situation is and you have to sometimes bring yourself down to that level. Try to understand. So, at first he was an angry person and wake up with an attitude. But everything I’ve learned in these classes has changed him. He’s opening up to me more, he’s communicating, he’s happier. It’s really overwhelming because at first I didn’t think it was really going to have as much of an effect as it has, but it really helped.

Being a CPP group leader means the world to me. I feel like I’m really making a difference in the lives of parents and children. I would have been a part of this team without compensation… Being a group leader has been a tremendous help on my job, as I am the parent coordinator and [it] aided me in school when I was taking a group process class. This experience has truly enhanced my knowledge base. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to have worked with these families. This program alone won’t change anyone. We give them the tools for change and it’s left up to them to make the choice for change.

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About Us

The Chicago Parent Program was developed in 2002 by three nurses, Deborah Gross, Christine Garvey, and Wrenetha Julion who care deeply about young children and their families. More recently, our team has been joined by Susan Breitenstein, another nurse who shares our passion for supporting families with young children. Dr. Gross is currently the Leonard and Helen Stulman Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and School of Medicine (Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences) in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Julion is a Professor and Dr. Breitenstein is an Associate Professor at Rush University College of Nursing in Chicago, IL. Dr. Garvey recently retired and continues to be actively involved on the Chicago Parent Program team.

The work of the Chicago Parent Program has been generously supported by the National Institute for Nursing Research, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, Rush University Medical Center, the Leonard and Helen Stulman Foundation, the Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Abell Foundation, and the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund.

Contact Us!

Chicago Parent Program
Rush University College of Nursing
600 South Paulina
Suite 1080
Chicago, IL 60612

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For information about Chicago Parent Program Group Leader Workshops at your site or at Rush University in Chicago, IL, please contact us at
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For information about Chicago Parent Program Group Leader Workshops at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, please contact us at
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